Chapter 11: 水星 - Shy Star

'Tell me more about your sisters,' Ami suddenly said.

Hugo chuckled, 'Well, what would you like to know about them?'

They were nearing the Nekane Karim Museum, or the NKM, apparently – per the pamphlet – was one of four museums of its kind dedicated to uncovering the "hidden, forgotten and mysterious treasures of the world that seem out of place in the canon of human history." They were relatively new and funded entirely through donations from interested parties and the founder himself, Amir Karim, a man so mysterious that his photograph never appeared in any publicity article or newspaper anywhere. Ami found out through a quick internet search that he was a bit of a recluse; if any pictures of him were leaked, they were often immediately deleted.

'I've met Helen but I was wondering what Audrey and Sophia are like?'

'Well, you already know I'm the youngest,' he began slowly. 'Aude is the oldest and she's a house officer at Royal London. She's the standard big sister – nice, caring and responsible. Always makes everything look easy, so I always felt stupid for finding stuff so hard when I was a kid. She's always there when we need her, though.'

'She sounds lovely.'

'Yeah, Aude's cool. Let's see – you've already met Helen, so I don't know what else there is to add. She works at the Tile Café, is going into her final year of MBBS, and wants to be a psychiatrist. Finally, there's Soph who just finished phase two and will be beginning an intercalated year in paediatrics.'

'It must be nice having all your siblings in the same field. Yet all of you want to do different things with it, so there's no competition,' she observed. She found herself thinking of her mother. 'I admired her. My Mama, I mean. Always so beautiful, smart and dedicated… I wanted to be like her. My father had left and I had no siblings, so…'

Hugo smirked. 'There isn't much sibling rivalry between me and my sisters, it's true. But if Dad had his way, we'd all be aspiring neurosurgeons. Your mum's a doctor, right?'

'That's why I always wanted to be one! She's what you call, what is it again? A general practitioner.'

'Like my mum. Well, for the most part, until she went all ethics-minded. But anyway, that's my family. Oh, and Dad's a neurosurgeon tax-dodging in Switzerland.'

'Aha, yes, you mentioned that. Being the youngest and a boy – you must have been the "wished-for son."'

'I'm certain I've said this before but, frankly, being the only boy I got sent to an all-boys school which was awful, so bad, in fact, that I slipped into a coma just—'

'—to escape it,' Ami finished, chuckling. 'Yes, I remember that joke.'

'It's wasn't a joke. The other guys said I was the closest thing to a girl in there!'

Then he laughed. It brought a small smile to Ami's lips, too. She was so momentarily dazed that she barely registered Hugo grabbing her hand and swiftly leading her across a large busy road. They were on the other side by the time she realised he had taken advantage of a gap in traffic rather than wait for the little green man.

He gently dropped her hand.

She felt bereft, even though she had hardly noticed it was being held at all; like it was a natural state of being to her now.

'Sorry,' Hugo apologised.

'Huh? Oh, um, what for?'

'Dragging you across on a red-man,' he replied. 'I just saw an opening and—'

'Oh, don't worry!' she said quickly. 'I was, um, "in my own existence."'

They continued walking. She was trying to use a British-ism but from the way Hugo was fighting back a snicker, she knew she must have got it wrong somewhere. He chose not to correct her, though, and he sighed wistfully, 'Yes, your head was filled with so much white noise it was almost unsettling.'

'Oh! Um, I'm sorry…?'

Ami wasn't even sure why she was apologising.

'It's nothing,' he assured her. 'I'm just so used to you mumbling away inside your mind now that I feel unsettled if there was silence.'

He held out his arm for her again. Without hesitation, she slowly wrapped her own arms around it and they walked on. It was not far now, judging by the map on the back of the pamphlet. Just 'round the corner and—

'Ah!' Hugo sighed. 'Finally, there it is!'

The NKM was a set of repurposed Edwardian terraced houses that – again, according to the pamphlet – had all been inherited by the museum's founder when a great-uncle on his mother's side passed away and the small businesses that occupied the buildings either folded or found newer, more spacious premises. Clearly, this was a family who had plenty of money to swing around.

Hugo pulled out the ticket as they walked arm-in-arm up the stairs.

Ami pulled out the already well-used A5 booklet depicting a white, beautiful jewellery box on the front.

'It is written here,' she read aloud, 'that "it had been the dream of Mr Karim's mother to open a museum for strange and wonderful artefacts that did not quite belong within the other museums of London. Hence, upon her passing he decided to open a museum dedicated to little explored European history and name it in her honour."'

They reached the door where a museum guide – a surprisingly young-looking man with gelled black-hair – was standing. The moment he saw Hugo, his smile widened, as if he had been expecting him.

'In that case,' Hugo said, responding to Ami with a chuckle, 'if I make it in immunology and discover a cure for an infectious disease, I'll be sure to name it Imogepraxin or something—' he nodded politely to the doorman. 'Hugo Zehren, and this is my guest, Ami Mizuno.'

'Zehren, Hugo… Ah, yes!' the young guide muttered. 'You were mentioned…'

He did not check the ticket, instead gleaming his eyes over Hugo, then Ami and back again. Though strange, Ami wouldn't have given it a second thought had it not been for the look of suspicion on Hugo's face. Her heart sank a little; what… on earth? Did he know this man? Was he worried about something?

After three full-seconds of this, the tow-haired guide seemed to realise how odd his behaviour was and stepped aside to let them in.

'Ahem, my apologies,' he explained quickly, now himself weary of the distrusting look on Hugo's face and the befuddled look on Ami's. He offered them both a bright smile. 'Yes – your sister, Miss Zehren, said you would be coming so I—'

At that moment, there was movement from inside the building. A woman with strawberry-blonde hair curled into silky, glossy waves bounced up the hall towards them so fast that Ami even braced for impact. For a moment, it almost looked as if she would fling herself at them in a fit of rage. She looked as if it was costing her more energy to hold back her fist than sock Hugo across the jaw.

Hugo, on the other hand, seemed to resign himself to this oncoming ball of fiery-ginger hair.

'Oi, Mister!' she snapped in a high-pitched, cutesy voice. She walked by the door man, she stood in front of them with her hands on her hips and a pout on her face. 'You're late. God, what are you wearing—?!'

'Fashionably so,' Hugo cut her off. 'Look, we couldn't help it. We had classes right up until—'

'Whatever!' the woman snapped, grabbing his other arm. 'Get in here. Sebby is about to start his speech!'

With one great tug, she single-handedly dragged both Hugo and Ami into the reception area of the museum. Suddenly, Ami had forgotten all about the doorman and focused instead on this new "threat". Still, based on her mannerisms and her looks, and the way Hugo was talking to her, there was no doubt as to who she was. Once they were inside, she trotted delicately towards a pair of large doors at the end of the hall.

'Come on, Hughie, look lively!'

'Alright, alright, we're coming!' Hugo called after her.

They lingered to remove their coats as another young museum worker offered to hang them in the cloakroom. 'Please feel free to leave your coats and bags with me,' she spoke softly. 'Just so you know, it is an open bar tonight.'

'I hope they have coffee,' Hugo muttered under his breath.

Ami looked back at the red-haired girl, now tapping her expensive-looking silver pumps impatiently at them. She began, 'Is that—?'

'Sophia,' Hugo confirmed.

The sister folded her arms, giving him the death glare. 'Are you being slow just to annoy me?'

'The world doesn't revolve around you, Soph,' came the biting response. He took Ami's hand and led her towards the door. 'This is Ami by the way—'

Without warning, Sophia grabbed Ami's free-hand and shook it hurriedly. Her next words were delivered at such a speed that Ami could barely translate half of it in her head. 'Ami –nice to meet you. Sorry, if I seem pushy but maybe, one day, if Hughie here ever actually achieves anything of importance that requires him to present his research in front of all his friends and family and the national press, you'll understand why I'm being this way. Now, look lively!'

'E-Excuse me…?'

Ami felt her mouth instinctively gape open.

'Yes,' Hugo cut in, scolded his sister. He seemed to sense – directly mindread – Ami's pain. 'Speak at one-hundred-miles an hour. Very considerate, Soph.'

Sophia ignored him, opened the door and waved them in frantically. Dutifully, they followed.

Inside, Ami was genuinely surprised at how many people there were crowded around a small stage with a podium on it. There was already someone at it. He was wearing a name badge and talking about the museum.

'—Mr Karim would like to apologise for not being here in person, though he wishes all of you a pleasant evening—'

Sophia sighed in relief.

'Good, he isn't on yet.' Immediately, she seemed calmer. 'Um, so,' and she pointed to a table where a waiter stood mixing drinks, whispering, 'it's open and they also do non-alcoholic cocktails and coffee. I know what you're like, Hughie. Then, just jump in a seat. Sebby should be on any minute so, um, don't dawdle.'

With that, she bounced off to the side to make her way back to her own seat. With her eyes following her, Ami saw her sit down with Dr Roser on one side and a man who looked to be in his mid-thirties on the other. He had wavy, ash-brown hair at ear-length and wore a pair of thick, rimless glasses. The first thing Ami thought was how out-of-place he looked with the bubbly, pretty girl beside him.

Casting her eye further around the room, she also noticed a large object set beside the podium that was draped in a deep-blue velvet throw.

'What can I get you, sir?' the barista at the drinks table asked.

'Black coffee for me and… you, Ami?'

'Oh, um, a latte, please!'

Better not drink. Not only was Ami not a fan of alcohol but she never knew when there might be a Phantom attack. He had been quiet a bit too long for her liking.

'—It was the desire of Mr Karim to share the wonders of this eighteen-month expedition with all of you and to grant a platform to the talented young archaeologist who headed it—'

Ami's eyes flickered to the row of seats behind Sophia and she spied the ice-blond and blue-streaked hair of Helen. She was sitting with another woman with short, wavy blonde hair who she presumed was the eldest Zehren sibling, Audrey.

'We had better sit down,' Hugo said, carrying both of their drinks. 'Looks like ol' Seb is about to take stage.'

She nodded and they anxiously tip-toed towards the nearest empty pair of seats they could find, right at the back of the hall. Even so, they had to squeeze by a few other people to do so when it became clear the row was not going to shift down to make way for them. Ami's chest pounded as she finally sat down though she had no idea why. Then, when Hugo handed her the pleasantly warm drink and gave her a sweet, reassuring smile, her heart squeezed so hard and excitedly in her chest she couldn't help but grin back.

'Now, without further ado, we will hand you over to our "star" this evening – Dr Sebastian Olfasson!'

The room broke into applause. Sophia gave her partner's arm a reassuring squeeze just as he stood to ascend the stage and take the podium. Clutching a small set of speech cards with him, he took a deep breath and waited for the room to fall silent. Out of the corner of her eye, Ami noticed a few journalists squabbling down notes and switched on their voice recorders.

Sebastian smiled nervously, nodded and greeted the hall with a gravelly voice.

'Good evening, everyone. Words cannot express how much I appreciate your presence here tonight, to witness the fruits of what has been essentially my life for several years now. It is a project I have been focused on since before I became acquainted with Mr Karim but I am certain that without his funding and support, I would not he here today. So, though he is not here tonight, I would like to thank his employees and representatives here tonight for all the assistance they have given to putting this whole thing together.'

This incited another wave of applause from the audience.

'All the items in the collection we have on display here have been recovered from my expedition not only in Iceland but in other Northern European countries – Norway, Finland, Switzerland and even here in the United Kingdom.'

Hugo, Ami and the rest of the audience glanced about the room. There were several lit cases of various small artefacts and objects that could not be fully appreciated from where they were sat. Then, there were the tapestries and stone-slabs depicting ancient scenes that probably looked even more impressive when you were stood directly below them.

'They have all been catalogued and dated by an independent source,' Sebastian explained, a sly smile crossing his lips. 'They have been checked and double checked; all of them are, indeed, thought to be of European craftsmanship, made from materials found in the countries of their origin or imports from countries. Some examples, if you would all look to the right at this rather ornate tapestry – show a local craftsmanship yet also include silk—'

There was some muttering in the room.

Hugo seemed fixated on the depiction of the tapestry, which displayed what looked like a battle within a great hall rather than a flat battlefield. Ami cocked her head, 'What do you think of it?' she whispered.

'I don't know,' he muttered back, not taking his eyes off it. 'It… reminds me of something.'

Me too, Ami thought.

'This would indicate,' Sebastian went on, 'that the culture these all hailed from likely had a healthy trade system with the Middle East and further afoot, though further research is needed. The item itself was so well-preserved due to it having been buried in a cave of ice in the Swiss alps.'

'Remarkable!' mumbled a middle-aged man sitting in front of Ami. The rest of the room seemed so impressed she wished she knew more about the subject herself.

'The other examples you see hanging about the room were each found in similar circumstances,' Sebastian said, pointing about the room to the various other drapes and textiles on display, 'The one directly opposite our Swiss example was discovered in a Neolithic burial site—'

This one was more damaged than the previous as it appeared to depict a man with the Sun coming out of his hair. The face and body were severely damaged. Still, it looked as if it might have been very vibrant in colour once with the red and green still being noticeable though the yellow of the Sun-Hair had long since faded, though the outlines still made it clear that was what it once was.

'Even when it was buried with its final owner right here in Britain some two-thousand-eight-hundred-years ago, this damaged yet beautiful work of art was itself already many thousands of years old,' he described keenly

That piqued Ami's interest.

'Naganen?!' she said, louder than she intended.

The man from before glanced behind him and her cheeks reddened as she whispered her apologies. She cautiously glanced at Hugo, but once again he seemed transfixed by the tapestry itself as if once again trying to remember where he might have seen something like it before. 'What… is it?' he whispered to himself.

'The Neolithic period is about five-thousand years ago,' Ami told him. 'I can't believe it is in such good condition.'

Hugo nodded.

'I know what you're all thinking,' Sebastian said cunningly. 'You're thinking, "But how could it be so old when civilisation in Europe did not truly develop until, at the earliest, some five-thousand years ago, with the building of places such as Stonehenge?" This question plagued me too when I first saw the results of some of the carbon dating on these items. Nonetheless, I believe that the ingenuity of the people who created these beautiful objects can be best summarised with the two stars of this collection.'

He stepped out from behind his podium and walked towards a small glass cabinet in front of him, which held just one item.

Ami recognised it immediately: the ornate box on the leaflet!

'All of you doubtless have already seen this item,' Sebastian said, echoing her thoughts back at her. 'This is the ivory casket which was published on the front cover of the brochures we released with your invites as well as with the initial press release last week.'

Everyone seemed enthusiastic to finally be hearing more about it. For her part, Ami suddenly felt keen to see it up close.

One of the museum guides stepped forward to open the case while Sebastian put on some rubber gloves. He then gently lifted the precious object out, his eyes lit with excitement and passion.

'This small casket was found in what is thought to have been a woman's bedroom in a settlement buried beneath ice. As you can see, it is carved on all four sides and on the lid, which is very fragile with age.' He placed it down on a small table facing the audience and pointed to a broken keyhole on the front. 'As you can see, it was originally designed to be locked. This was already damaged when we discovered it, indicating that someone had possibly tried to force it open in the past. Nonetheless, the lid was frozen shut when we found it, literally, encased in a block of ice!'

A small titter of laughter broke out amongst the audience.

'We were incredibly concerned that if we were to thaw it too quickly, it would fall apart. Therefore, we did it slowly. So slowly, in fact, it took us months to complete the process. Once we did, we delicately carbon dated the bone from one of the fractured corners. It was also submitted for an x-ray. And you will never believe what we discovered.'

There was a pregnant pause before be gleefully added, 'I think it best to show all of you.'

He then stepped forward and gently lifted the lid.

Immediately, a little melody played.

The entire room erupted into astounded mutters and gasps.

Ami and Hugo glanced at each other.

'What we have here,' Sebastian chuckled excitedly, 'is what might well be one of, if not the actual, oldest musical box in history. Please, you are welcome to take pictures.'

The cameras flash frantically.

The melody played on.

Ami tried to make sense of it in her head. The low pitches sounded like hail striking glass and the high pitches were like the narrow clag of metal, like small symbols being struck in a glass dome.

'It's so…' she mumbled, unable to finish her trail of thought.

Para-para-

para-para-do-dee-dee-da-do…

da…da…

para-para -dee-dee-dala…

Dalala-pa-pa-dala-do-da-para-rala—

The more she listened, the more enticed she felt. It was like it was transporting her back to a time when this sound was probably fresh and new. Thousands of years ago. She might well have been alive at the time this musical box was first made. Of course, it was silly to think she would have ever seen this very music box or heard its tune… but that sound still felt very, very familiar. It returned her to a very different time. A land of shimmering snow where massive diamonds glowed with the fiery lustre, keeping the people warm in great, gleaming castles built from never-melting ice.

Beautiful.

Comforting.

Sad.

Ami felt a tear roll down her left cheek. That was enough to snap out of her transfixion with the simplistic tune. She sheepishly glanced over to Hugo, worried he might have noticed. She didn't want to worry him.

To her surprise, he seemed just a fixated on the musical box as she had been, if not more so. There were no tears in his eyes but there was hardly any light, either. It was as if he were sleeping with his eyes open. He stayed that way for so long that Ami flinched when he finally blinked and turned to look at her. He looked confused, and then concerned when he saw the look on her face.

'Um, are you okay?'

She sniffed, 'Y-Yes.' Laughing, she added, 'I feel silly being so affected by a musical box.'

Dr Sebastian Olafsson closed the musical box very gently as the amazed crowd continued to mutter in awe amongst themselves. All around her, Ami heard the scribbling pencils of the journalists and the nervous clinks of wine glasses.

She saw Hugo take a huge gulp of his black coffee as if it was whiskey.

'Are you okay?' she asked hesitantly.

He cleared his throat nervously.

'Yeah, I think. I…felt pretty affected by that song.'

Maybe that was the effect it was supposed to have. Back in the old days of Mercury, she remembered faintly that song was one of their greatest weapons, to the point where the priesthood would communicate almost entirely in song. The old language of those days was incredibly musical by nature where only a few words was enough to cause rain heavy enough to swallow entire settlements like a magic spell. Indeed, what more could you expect from a planet whose holy guardian weapon was a harp?

'Wasn't that beautiful, ladies and gentlemen?' Sebastian, looked thoroughly pleased with himself. 'We are clearly dealing with a culture far advanced of anything previously uncovered, or even afterwards. Anthropologically speaking, these items… should not exist. This has led us all to wonder… what happened? For a culture to have advanced to the point of being a civilisation like this, only to regress back to the Neolithic period… something happened, something quite apocalyptic.'

Ami froze.

Queen Metalia.

Could it be that… Sebastian Olafsson had discovered evidence of the Golden Kingdom? But hadn't Queen Serenity said that Earth had been completely destroyed? How could anything have survived that long, even under a glazier? And why was all of this only being discovered now? Was it a coincidence? Could it be tied to the Phantom's appearance? Like those beryl crystals that he used? Maybe she was jumping to conclusions about the Phantom-connection but…

There were so many questions running through Ami's head that she worried Hugo might notice… but he still seemed preoccupied with the talk. Her thoughts were so fragmented right now, she doubted he would make any more sense out of them than she could and so was probably tuning her out.

'Of course, I have no answers for you right now and who knows if I ever will find them,' Sebastian said, seemingly to conclude his tangent on an ominous tone. 'But I certainly intend to try.'

He stepped forward towards the object covered with the velvet cloth Ami had noticed earlier.

'What I will leave you with tonight is another piece that we recovered from the site,' he explained, presenting his hand towards the large masked object.

There was no telling exactly what it was as the cloth was draped loosely over it, only revealing that it was tall and thin – perhaps a statue of some sort. The thirty-something-year-old smirked, playing with the corner of the material anxiously as if he worried that the big reveal would not be as exciting as he felt it was. Speaking for herself, Ami was on tenterhooks now she had drawn the possible link between the Golden Kingdom and these exhibit items.

'It took us months to free her from the ice lake in which she was sealed, so much so that when we first saw her, we wondered if she was fashioned out of ice…'

Her? Ami stared. She?

'But, we succeeded in releasing her from her frozen prison and we brought her here to share with you tonight. This is just another example of just how sophisticated these people may have been when it came to the arts…'

He clasped the material tightly.

'May I present, what my team and I have dubbed, "The Lady of the Frozen Lake"!'

In one fluid movement, Sebastian pulled the thin material away to reveal what lay underneath.

Everyone gasped in awe once again.

Ami felt her jaw drop.

The object that had been so shrouded in mystery was indeed a statue fashioned from a greyish-green material. Had that been its only defining feature, then it wouldn't have been all that remarkable but, even from the back of the hall, Ami could see the exquisite detail of the statue's face. It was more realistic than most modern humanoid sculptures you would find in gardens or fountains, so detailed in fact that it almost looked like a living woman painted, like a moving statue of London. Stare at her long enough and maybe she would move… but she did not. She was cold and inanimate, fixed to a rocky pedestal and kneeling in perpetual prayer. The details of the wavy strands of her hair or the bird-feather cloak she wore were striking and made it even more remarkable that she had survived that long through time, trapped inside a frozen over lake.

Sebastian said no more. He just nodded and said, "thank you."

'Enjoy the exhibit,' he added as everyone began to clap. 'Oh, and if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask me!'

Ami and Hugo slowly joined the rising applause.

After a few seconds, the latter sighed.

'Well, what do you make of that thing?'

'I'm not sure,' Ami admitted. 'I thought that musical box would be the highlight but that statue is something…'

She couldn't think of an appropriate English word to describe it.

'It is something else,' Hugo finished. 'A real oddity. I've never seen anything like it before.'

Yet even as he said it, his tone was low and reserved, as if he was trying to convince himself of what he was saying. Ami felt uneasy, even when she looked at Hugo. For the first time, in a very long time, when she stared at the profile of his ornate porcelain face, high-cheekbones and pensive green eyes – she saw Zoisite.

'Have you…?' she swallowed.

He turned to look at her.

'Have I, what?'

'Um, ever seen anything like these other things before?'

Ami looked up at him expectantly.

His stone-cold face melted away and he let out a nervous titter of laughter. All the Zoisite attributes Ami thought she had briefly seen a second ago melted away like snow. Yet, his response staggered her.

'Would it surprise you if I said yes?'

Her brow creased.

'W-Where?'

He smiled awkwardly. 'That's just it… I don't know. Maybe a dream?'

He shook his head and downed the rest of his coffee before patting her hand affectionately. It sent pleasant sparks shooting up her arm. In that moment, it was like all her previous worries were moot. She was with Hugo and, for some reason, that made her feel safe.

'Come on,' he said with resignation. 'I'll introduce you to Sophia and Sebastian properly.'

Ami and Hugo walked arm in arm towards the front where Sebastian was surrounded by the many journalists and historians who had been sat in the front two rows. It seemed they were not going to pass up the opportunity to ask the good doctor questions. He caught sight of Hugo and gave him a small wave, which Hugo returned with a quick and short raising of the hand.

He led Ami towards his sister. The moment she noticed them, Sophia waved excitedly. It was like she was a whole other person, no longer the stressed and grouchy woman who had scolded them for being late before. Maybe she had mellowed out now that Sebastian had completed his big talk, or maybe her change in mood had something to do with the massive sparkling wine in her hand.

'Hughie!' she said jovially, giving her little brother a small hug.

She let him go and stepped back, looking at them both.

'So, what did you think? Wasn't my Sebbie amazing?'

Her voice, mannerisms and choice of nicknames for her brother and boyfriend reminded her a little of Kris. It helped Ami instantly take a liking to this woman.

'Yes, very impressive,' Hugo nodded. 'I don't even know what you were worried about.'

Sophia cradled her glass nervously.

'He's never had to talk in front of the press before,' she muttered. 'You of all people know what they're like, sweetie.'

Hugo froze up. Ami was no mind-reader but she could imagine the words shooting through his head. Mystery. Coma. Miracle. Should have been dead. She instinctively squeezed his arm. He seemed to thaw at that.

'In any case,' Sophia said with a massive sigh of relief, 'It's over now so I intend to enjoy this evening to the fullest.'

Hugo pointed at the gauntlet-like glass in her hand. 'So I can see,' he jested.

At that moment, Dr Roser came forward, saying a polite hello to them before she was accosted by Sophia and into another conversation. Hugo and Ami found themselves as simple bystanders, listening in for a moment before deciding to side-step away. He seemed to have noticed someone else he wanted to talk to and took Ami's hand to lead her in their direction.

Three or four steps later and Ami was pleased to see Helen.

'Evening, Hugo, Ami,' she said with a smile.

Ami nodded her head in gratitude. It was good to see someone else she recognised.

It was then she noticed the slightly smaller, though older than Helen, and dainty woman standing beside her. She had perfectly kept short blonde hair and a lovely pair of hazel eyes. She smiled warmly as soon as she saw Hugo. Unlike either of his other sisters, Hugo willingly stepped forward to hug her with his free hand and peck a kiss on her cheek.

Ami was not worried this time as she had been when she had first seen him speaking with Helen. Just by the looks of this woman against Helen, Sophia and especially Dr Roser, she had a very good idea who this was before either of them said a word.

'It's been a while, Hugo,' the woman whispered.

'I know,' he replied, guiltily. 'I've been pretty busy. It's good to see you, Aude.'

She cupped his cheek sweetly.

'You too, sweetheart.'

That confirmed it. The eldest of the Zehren siblings – Dr Audrey Zehren.

She turned to Ami with a pleasant and curious expression.

'So, who is your lovely little friend, Hugo?' Her voice was a soothing, cool tone. Her hazel eyes flickered keenly with interest between Ami and her brother yet it was not as teasing as those given in the past by Helen; it was genuinely curious.

Hugo seemed a little shy before responding.

'This is Ami. We, um, met on our course.'

'Ah!' the eldest sister said, her voice soft as a summer breeze. 'An aspiring physician, too.'

Audrey held out her pale, gentle hand.

'It's lovely to meet you, Ami.'

Ami took the hand immediately. Sensing just how important this meeting seemed to be for Hugo suddenly reminded her that she was shy by nature, and she felt anxious. Her hand must have felt quite limp in Audrey's clasp.

'The same to you too, um, Dr Zehren.'

The eldest sister released her hand and let out a small belly laugh. It was so contradictory to her overall persona. Ami felt all the tightness in her chest melt away like the fear had never been there, to begin with.

'Oh, please!' Audrey chuckled. 'Only my patients call me that. It's just Audrey to everyone else – or Aude, whichever you feel most comfortable with.'

Ami was sure she would be going with "Audrey" – she still found it hard to produce the short words without dragging out the last syllable. She glanced for a moment at Helen, who gave her a reassuring wink.

With a sweet sigh, Audrey linked the fingers of her hands and stood straight and graceful with them in front of her.

'Now, you're an overseas student, Ami?'

'Oh, yes.'

'Where are you from originally?'

'Tokyo, Japan.'

'Interesting,' Audrey nodded, sounding quite impressed. 'I can't imagine travelling so far away to study in a foreign country – and to study medicine, too! Is it difficult being so far from home?'

'Sometimes, yes. I speak with my friends at home over the phone when possible. Though, thanks to friends here and,' Ami stopped, shyly looking up at Hugo. She cleared her throat, 'Well, it makes life here much easier. I enjoy it a lot.'

'Hm-mm,' Audrey hummed, seemingly impressed and interested. 'So, I trust my baby brother has been taking good care of you?'

'Aude! I'm not a baby—!'

Audrey just smiled. The way she spoke and looked seemed so maternal, more than Dr Roser be with her children. The only time she had ever seen that maternal side to Imogen Roser was when Hugo was sick, and even then her expression had been creased with worry. If Dr Roser portrayed maternal fear, then Audrey Zehren was maternal grace. Just from the way Hugo was handling himself, he clearly looked up to her and respected her in a manner than he never seemed to express when talking about his parents. He wanted Audrey and Ami to like each other and get along. Clearly, he was not kidding when he had said earlier in passing that he had mainly been looked after by his older sister.

'Hugo has been a... gentleman,' Ami replied.

It was clearly what Audrey wanted to hear judging by her slightly widening smile – and best of all, it was true.

The eldest Zehren sibling smirked. 'Good, I'd expect nothing less from my cute little brother.'

'Cripes, Aude!' he sulked. 'All the words you could have picked and you go with "cute"?'

Sophia appeared, as if on cue, saying as she passed by: 'Yep, girly-haired'd be more accurate.'

'Piss off, Soph!' Hugo sniped, but she disappeared to greet some more guests. She already looked a little tipsy from the wine.

He quickly turned back to his eldest sister and Ami, feeling to need to apologise for his sudden swear. It did not matter, though – Audrey was used to it, and Ami didn't quite know what he had meant.

Helen huffed. 'Trust Soph to try an' embarrass Hugh in front of his new girlfriend.'

The gravity of that word didn't even hit Ami. It barely had time. Everything felt so natural around her...

Audrey sighed lightly, resigned to the scene playing out before her.

'You better keep an eye on her, Hel. Seb will probably be tied up all evening and the last thing he needs is her getting carried away.'

Helen gave Ami a quick smile as she left.

Suddenly, Audrey tugged a little on Ami's sleeve. 'Forgive us. This is what happens when you have all the Zehrens in one place at one time.'

'Yes, complete and utter anarchy!'

The three of them turned to see Sebastian approaching.

'Ah,' Audrey explained. 'Seb, you've escaped!'

He wore a jovial smile, clearly wanting to do the rounds and greet his girlfriend's family. He glanced over at Sophia and shook his head, 'Well, at least she's enjoying herself, right?'

Then, he offered his hand to Ami, 'I don't think we've met. Sebastian Olafsson.'

'Ami Mizuno.'

'Ah, you're Japanese! Well, hajimemashite, Mizuno-san.'

She bowed politely, her smile widened, 'Dōmo arigatōgozaimasu, Olafsson-sensei.'

'Tengu,' Hugo muttered under his breath.

Ami and Seb turned to him, surprised.

Audrey chuckled nervously, 'I have no idea what any of you are saying but it sounds lovely.'

'It was just "Nice to meet you, Miss Mizuno", "Thank you very much, Dr Olafsson", and then I called him a poser,' Hugo mumbled out before smiling ingeniously at Sebastian, who nodded his head. 'See, I can show-off too.'

Ami blinked, surprised.

'Indeed, Hugh,' Sebastian nodded. 'I didn't know you understood Japanese. I suppose being with Ami here has rubbed off on you.'

'You could say that,' Hugo agreed, glancing at her.

The sudden change in manner had surprised Ami; did he not like Sebastian? She must have thought it "aloud" in her head because the next words out of Hugo's mouth felt for her benefit as much as a response for the good archaeologist.

'Has my sister rubbed off on you much, "Sebby"?'

Ami remembered how Hugo had referred to Sebastian as Sophia's "sugar daddy" and it was true. He was clearly a much older man, and it seemed odd for him to be with a woman in her early twenties. Looking at him, he seemed better suited to Audrey; he was at least that bit closer to her in age though he was still quite a bit older. It dawned her from there that Hugo probably found the relationship between Sophia and Sebastian… uncomfortable.

'Ha, ha, well, I like to think I've been less of a stick in the mud since I met her. Now then,' the older man quickly responded. Clapping and rubbing his hands together, he pointed to the statute behind them, 'what do you think of this beauty?'

Once again, Ami and Hugo were confronted with it in all its wonder.

'Impressive,' Hugo said slowly. 'It's perfectly life sized and crafted to look like a human woman. How is this possible?'

'She almost looks alive…' Ami agreed.

'She is a beauty,' Sebastian agreed, admiring with lustre in his cheeks and a fire in eyes. 'Almost looks like a real human body frozen in ice. Oh, but don't worry! She isn't, though. She's made of stone. Crystal, in fact. Goodness knows how these remarkable people achieved all of this.' He threw his hands up to present the entire hall of treasures, not only the statue. 'Can you believe that a Neolithic culture was so sophisticated as to have created all of this and we are only now just discovering it? Many within my field have been desperate to date all of this to a later period but with no success.'

Ami was curious about that.

'How sophisticated do you believe these people would have been to create all of this?'

'It is difficult to say,' Sebastian responded. 'More research is required but I would argue they were at least as sophisticated as the societies of antiquity. Perhaps more so. In order to learn the truth, we will need to dig deeper.'

'And there is no chance of them actually… being from antiquity?'

He shook his head. 'The carbon dating of the bone in the music box indicates the creature that it is made from died over twelve-thousand years old. Together with the layers these items are being uncovered from the Earth from, lower and older than we could possibly expect humans to be producing these items, it seems we are indeed looking at a hub of civilisation that was destroyed suddenly and unexpectedly. Buried by ice, snow and time.'

'How poetic!' Hugo murmured. 'I suppose once these discoveries reach the wider world it will shake up a lot of anthropologists and archaeologists. Nothing like this has ever been found before. It is a miracle any of it has survived.'

'Indeed,' Sebastian agreed. 'Frankly, if it were not for the glazier, they probably would have been lost to time.'

Ice preserves, Ami thought to herself, suddenly. The voice was an echo from another era and one. Mercury… or maybe Earth itself. She glanced around, curiously looking at the tapestries about the room. Her eyes fell on the faded image of what looked like a young woman – or perhaps a very young, long haired man with stars in his hair, and a beautiful maiden standing behind him with a crown of sunrays. 'What about these?'

Sebastian's eyes lit up again. 'Well, and I want to reiterate that this is just a theory I have, but I think these depict is a sort of proto-god similar to the Gods of Asgard and Vanir. Much like the much later Norse and Viking cultures, these people were very aware of the stars above them. This is a map of sorts detailing the sky.'

Ami's eyes fell upon the largest of the tapestries that depicted a night sky of stars at the top and the orange and red of a rising sun at the bottom. Right by the horizon, she noticed the outline of a single star – alone and separate from the others. Before she even had a chance to take in breath to ask, Hugo already knew what she was going to say.

'What's going on with this star here?'

Ami inclined her head to agree.

Sebastian smirked, 'Well, I can explain better with this object…'

With the excitement of a young boy, he bound over to the remains of a fragment of a triptych. Hugo and Ami dutifully followed, their eyes falling on it. The right-hand depicted what looked like the Earth, with streams of frozen water and massive trees covered in snow, while the left showed the black and blue of space, a thousand stars with the foremost showing what must have once been faces in their centres. Their eyes fell to the middle image, the most prominent and important. It showed what appeared to be a young man with eyes closed and deep in prayer. He was bathed in the light of dawn rising behind him, his hair long spun gold woven through the fingers a form behind him. The outline was distinctly female but there was a massive gash over the face as if it had once been purposely damaged thousands of years ago. It had left it more exposed to the elements, as most of the paint of this womanly figure had long since chipped away, with only the outline of what had once been an ethereal crown in the shape of stars circled around her head and icy wings springing from her back.

Ami stared at it. Though it was tattered and torn, her mind was filling in the gaps for her, as if she knew what it had once looked like when first created. Yet, what it created could not be the truth as once her brain had completed the paintwork, restored the golden leave, opals and glimmering tanzanite to the frame, it was her own face she saw looming behind the boy. Moreover, his eyes were no longer closed but a deep, dark grey-green to match the colour of anyolite. It was Hugo's face she stared at.

She looked away, blushing, and looked to the real Hugo for his reaction.

He was scowling at it as if he was angry at the damage. His eyes seemed to focus on the purposeful gash over the woman's face as if the sight of it offended him.

'Was that done at the time?' he asked Sebastian, pointing at it accusingly. 'Or is it more recent?'

Sebastian seemed taken aback by Hugo's tone. Ami blinked at him, curiously. Why are you so upset?

Hugo looked at her, his handsome speckled green eyes suddenly remembering himself. The crease in his forehead melted away. He rummaged for an excuse.

'It's just…' he began. 'This was obviously a stunning piece back in its day. I wonder who would possibly want to destroy it…'

'Ah, yes,' Sebastian agreed, sadly. 'Obviously, it has been a victim to the elements over thousands of years. It might have been much worse had it not been for the ice. Yet I would say this damage is almost as old as the object is. The gash is as eroded as the paint, so had it been an accident of one of my crew while extracting it from the eyes, it would have been more likely to break the thing apart than scratch away at her face. As for who and why… it seems like the work of iconoclasts.'

Ami didn't know that word. She must have thought how she didn't know it because Hugo immediately told her. 'Radicals, usually religious freethinkers,' he muttered and then turned back to Sebastian. 'So, this triptych and the draperies are all religious in nature?'

Sebastian nodded, seemingly over Hugo's visceral reaction. 'It is only a theory, but…'

'But?' Ami tilted her head.

'Well, given the place this object was found. My best guess is that what we are looking at is an early depiction of a Baldr-like hero. Oh, I should probably explain, shouldn't I?'

The pair smiled politely as he went on. 'Baldr was the most beautiful and beloved of the Aesir gods.'

Hugo nodded, 'I vaguely remember him. He was the god of light, wasn't he? And when he died all light went from the Earth?'

'Something like that,' Sebastian agreed. 'He was the son of the rulers of the gods, Odin, the God of Wisdom, and Frigg, the Goddess of Prophecy. Though the roles and duties of the Nordic gods are not quite as uniform as other pantheons, Baldr is remembered primarily as the "shining god" of purity, goodness, wisdom and grace. Though he was not physically powerful, his very body gave off a light and all the world adored him.'

Ami looked at the image. 'Such gods tend not to survive long, do they?'

'Indeed. He is murdered by the spirit of chaos, Loki, who tricked his blind brother, Hodr, into shooting him to death with an arrow of mistletoe,' Sebastian concluded, his voice breathless and tone full of whimsy. 'Mistletoe was the only thing that could kill him.'

Mistletoe, Ami thought to herself. Odd how a Christmas ornament could do such damage. Still, even that sounded wrong. It wasn't mistletoe, a voice called out to her from the depths of her mind. She shuddered. Not a stick of mistletoe. She could taste blood in her mouth when she thought of it. Blood and bile.

'S-so, what about her?' Ami quickly asked, pointing at the woman. 'The woman.'

'The Shy Star,' Hugo slurred distantly under his breath.

Sebastian glanced at him, snickering. 'That's a fitting name for her, actually. I might have to steal it. Either way, this is where I really put the tinfoil hat on—'

'Tinfoil... hat?' Ami repeated, befuddled.

Hugo got there before her mind could even begin to puzzle it out.

'He means, "speculate to the point of insanity."' He was grinning again, his voice teasing and mood suddenly recovered. 'Go on, Seb. Enlighten us.'

'So,' the older man said, taking the jab in his stride. 'I think this female figure is the personification of one of the two stars known to us as "The Morning and Evening Star", the planets Venus and Mercury.' He pointed to one of the larger, brighter stars on the space-view side of the triptych. 'See how this figure is so large and higher in the night sky? The outline of a face is long lost yet the beam of light remains, reaching out towards our lovers…?'

Lovers, Ami thought.

'That is the Morning Star, or more specifically, Venus,' Sebastian concluded. The mention of that snapped Ami's attention straight back to him. Women associated with planets and stars—could it be? 'Whereas our maiden here,' he went on, pointing to how the horizon line went straight down from the top of the woman's head, 'is close to the ground and being swallowed up by the light of the Sun and of Baldr.'

He crossed his arms, 'These people seem to have been stargazers who had observed how each of the planets appear above us. Venus shines brightest of the two and high in the sky, while Mercury hangs low and is never far above Earth's horizon. That's why "Shy Star" if a fitting name for her,' he pointed to the female figure, 'This is the personification of Mercury.'

Ami felt the lump in her throat grow thicker.

Hugo folded his own arms, uncomfortable again. 'So, this is a depiction of what happens to the planet Mercury when the sun comes up?'

'Well,' Sebastian said pointedly. 'I like to think there is some sort of myth behind it. My best guess is that the "Shy Star" is in love with the god of light. So, instead of retreating into space with the other stars, she lingers low to the ground and is swallowed up by him. It kills her every morning but she cannot stay away…'

'It was me who made it up, you cad!'

Ami and Hugo spun around to see Sophia bound up to her fiancé, wrapping one arm around his neck while clasping a half-full wine glass in the other. She pulled herself onto a tip-toes to kiss him behind the ear; Hugo stiffened, a little uncomfortable to see her being all lovey-dovey in front of them. Even Ami felt a little awkward.

'Sophie,' Sebastian said happily. 'Are you enjoying yourself?'

'The wine is cheap but so is your publicist!'

'S-Sophiahhh!'

He was stuck on the last syllable of her name as she pinched his nose sweetly.

'Oh, calm down! I'm only joking,' she giggled, eyes shining and cheeks pink as a piglet's skin. 'But tell them! I came up with the Light-god and Mercury-star love story!'

Sebastian sighed and nodded. 'I'll grant you, it was her idea. She cottoned onto it when I told her about what Baldr's wife did when she discovered he had died—'

'Threw herself onto the flames of his funeral barge or something!' Sophia cut him off. 'Isn't that sad? Why are the love stories of gods always so sad?'

Hugo looked at her wearily.

'Humans love conflict,' he replied. 'No one ever cares what happened after "happily ever after" unless it is sad.'

Ami twiddled her thumbs awkwardly. This whole scene, everything she had been told, it all felt so strange inside her head. Like it was filled with truth – told with plenty of embellishments – but still, truth.

'Maybe they are all based on real people with real tragic love stories?' she suggested.

Sophia cocked an eyebrow, 'What? A planet falling in love with a man made of heaven's light?'

That wasn't what she meant, of course. But still—

Hugo interrupted, 'She means that two normal people might have fallen in love once but they both died for it and it later got turned into a legend. Don't be obtuse, sis!'

Sophia stuck her tongue out at her little brother. Ami smiled despite herself when she saw Hugo struggling with every inch of his being not to retort with his own tongue.

The evening felt very long. Several hours later, when the party finally started to wind down and having exhausted all conversation with his family, Hugo suggested they finally call it a night. 'I'll walk you home,' he immediately suggested. 'Although, maybe we should just get a taxi. It's a bit of a long walk…' Ami agreed. The last hour or so, she had noticed Hugo had seemed to be particularly egging to go, complaining of one of his headaches.

'I think the taxi would be better,' she said, apprehensive. 'Especially if you aren't feeling well.'

He sniffed. 'I'll be fine. Don't… worry…'

Hugo blinked painfully, as if there was something in his eye. He placed a finger in the centre of his head, between his eyes and scrunched his eyes shut. Ami watched worriedly as he let the pain pass by. Once it did, he blinked a few more times and shook his head.

'Sorry, Ami. That just came out of nowhere.'

'It's fine. Shall I call a taxi?'

'Um, in a moment. I should say bye to my mum before I go… but first, I think I'm going to splash my face with so cold water.'

'Very well. I'm going to get some fresh air in the atrium.'

Hugo simply smiled. With that, she watched him disappear into the crowds and towards the restrooms while she stepped out into the atrium to step away the humidity of alcohol and hot-breaths get that whiff of fresh air.

Mutter from the main hall grew dimmer as she closed the door. The attendees were gone and, for a moment, Ami thought she was completely alone.

That was when she heard weeping. Casting her head slightly to one side, she noticed that Helen and Sophia were sitting on one of the lightly cushioned benches near the exhibition poster display and the pedestal of an Mjölnir. 'An ancient war-hammer,' Sebastian had called it. 'Associated with the god Thor.'

She crept backwards slightly, feeling guilty already that she was eavesdropping but it was impossible to ignore Helen's light weeps as Sophia nodded lightly. Neither of them had noticed her. The younger sister was brushing the elder's bleached, dye-wash blue hair behind her ear as she rambled something a little unintelligible into her collarbone. 'Um jus a' un l—'

Helen lifted her head.

'...l-loss, Soph. It's just, you know, I wonder sometimes if he even cares about me. I always tried so hard but he's just so hard to talk to...' Helen sniffed.

Sophia bit her lip, as if she didn't quite know what to say. Ami could see from her shimmering, rosy cheeks that she had definitely drunk her fair share of wine. Mayhap her sister's words sounded as confusing to her as they were to Ami on that moment. She looked as though she was on the verge of falling asleep yet the wideness of her eyes told her that she was determined to pay attention and hear her big sister out.

She continued to stroke Helen's hair.

'Silly-billy,' she sniffed sweetly in a sleepy, slightly slurred voice. 'Silly ol' Hel! You know Dad loves you to bits.' She picked another strand away from Helen's eyes. 'The only reason he's so hard on you is that you were always his favourite.'

Helen croaked cynically.

'Ha! no,' she whined. 'We all know Hugo's his favourite...'

'Oh please. Hughie was his and mum's "baby boy", sure, but we know that he's always fought them both with tooth and claw. It wasn't until… what happened…' Sophia stopped for a moment as if recalling something painful. Ami knew what it was. She went on, her tone changed. 'Remember when all that went down? Dad went half-crazy trying to cure whatever Hughie had. Jamming him through more MRI and CAT scan machines than I care to count. Sometimes it felt like Hughie woke up just to make him stop –'

She wrapped an arm around her sister's slender form.

'But you? I used to be so jealous of you! You were always Daddy's Little Brain Surgeon!'

Helen wiped her nose on the back of her hand. 'But I'm not, am I? I just... don't have it in me to go into neurology like he did. How can I follow a field that doesn't interest me? How can I care for my patients if I don't care about my work? All my life, he tried to force it on me but I just don't want to do it! Clinical Psychology is my passion. It's what I always wanted to do…'

'I know…'

'Hugo is better suited Dad's role than me,' Helen concluded. 'He's smarter than all of us put together.'

Sophia pouted. 'Speak for yourself!'

Ami backed away further. She didn't want to let the sisters know she was there and frankly seeing Helen - who seemed so strong and tough - in tears was hard to watch. It was also odd to see the flighty youngest sister from earlier that evening being the shoulder for her to cry on. It was yet further insight into how close the Zehren siblings seemed to be. They all loved each other so much.

'Ugh, I'm sorry, Soph!' Helen sniffed again.

'What are you apologising for, you divvy?'

'For putting upon you like this,' Helen mumbled. 'I'm the big sister, after all. I should be looking after you.'

'I'm fine right now,' Sophia chuckled. She tightened her hold around Helen's shoulders, rubbing them soothingly. 'Even Big Sisters need to cry sometimes, right?' Helen looked at her, smiling meekly. Sophia smiled back and placed a sweet kiss on her forehead. 'You'll be alright, Hel.'

Ami smiled. She never had any siblings but it always made her smile to look upon others. Usagi and Shingo could fight like fox and hare but there was still so much love in their eyes, even when they were angry at each other. It made her happy to know that Hugo had such wonderful big sisters of his own.

It must have been nice being the youngest, she thought. He probably couldn't hear her from so far away but, even if he did manage to pick her voice out from this far away, she didn't mind.

She left them to turn back into the baking-hot exhibition room. Clusters of patrons and journalists were still surrounding the many cases of artefacts, all of them looking flushed and dizzy with drink. Just looking at the made her feel dizzy also. In the corner of her eye, she saw Sebastian giving a mini-lecture to a group among whom were Dr Roser and Audrey. It was probably the same one he had given her and Hugo earlier.

He never seems to run out of energy, she thought. He suits Sophia well, despite the age difference.

She scanned the room, looking for Hugo. He knew she had gone to the atrium so she didn't want to move away from the door lest they miss each other.

That was when she felt it. It happened before she even had a chance to really think about the feeling of unease or dark power she felt around her. She thought to pull out her supercomputer and pinpoint it – but there was no need. It was so potent she could taste it in the air, just as she could taste the alcohol and hot-breaths of the guests.

It wasn't just near; it was here!

No, Ami thought angrily. Don't you dare!

There were so many people around. Hugo! His family!

She should have been prepared. She knew it was going to happen now—

The lights went out, suddenly.

Her heart sank along with the silence that swept across the room. Mutters of confusion rippled throughout the room. In the blackness of the hall, where the only light was the exit sign, Ami felt now was as good as any moment to transform…

No one was paying her any mind.

I hope Hugo doesn't worry about me, she thought guiltily as she lifted her hand high.

'Eternal Mercury, make up!'

In a heartbeat, Ami was gone and the Pretty Guardian Sailor Mercury stood in her place. She did not hesitate for a moment, rushing to the centre of the room where that deathly feeling of dread led her. People parted for her, none of them knew her. Even if they had seen the shy young woman earlier none of them would recognise her as the unusual warrior before them.

She stopped at where the source was and found herself standing before the Lady of the Frozen Lake statute.

'Show yourself!' she cried. 'I know it's you.'

At her command, there was moment above – but it was not just one person. It was many. One, two, three – ten – fifteen – perhaps, twenty. From a balcony that circled the whole room, they all appeared at once. Twenty-odd pairs of unnatural eyes glaring down at her and ready to pounce. A woman screamed while a others began to back away.

Colbert's shop, Mercury thought to herself. Just like those students who attacked Colbert at his shop. She thought of Hugo then, somewhere in this darkness. Hugo, she begged in her mind. Please be all right. I don't know if you can hear me but… just get out of here. Don't worry about me. Just get away.

'Core!' one of them cried, so high-pitched it sounded like a bird cry. 'Core!' another said, then a third cried, 'Core!' and with that, they all began to screech that word repeatedly. 'Find Core!' a single voice called but the rest continued the mantra. 'Core! Core! Core!' as musical as a murder of crows.

Then, they leapt down as one entity.

Mercury jumped back and out of the way but others were not so lucky, breaking the fall of several of the cursed slaves. 'Core!' they screamed in their faces, some guests were unconscious, some were trying to crawl away.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw one of them lurching towards Dr Roser and Audrey. The mindless man reached out for the mother's neck while they both stood, dumbfounded and frozen like rabbits staring death down on a dark road.

Her breath caught in her throat.

'Get away from them!' she cried, staggering forward and thinking to call an attack. Too late! The man snatched the necklace of sapphire and tanzanite from Imogen Roser's chest so rough that the chain broke the soft skin before snapping. The good doctor screeched, Audrey clutched her mother while swatting the man with the broken glass, and Mercury shot the man with water.

These are real people, she had to remember.

'Core!' the man squalled, blinking the water from his eyes and sniffing the stones like a wild animal.

Mercury rushed to Dr Roser and Audrey.

'Are you alright?' she asked anxiously.

Dr Roser clutched her bleeding skin while Audrey held her mother protectively. 'Who are you?' she demanded. 'What's wrong with these people?' They looked about the room as the zombie like-people pushed and shoved at the people in the room. Some were grasping at jewellery while others punched at the glass cabinets of some of the artefacts. All the while, they screamed out for 'Core!'

Mercury realised she had no answer for them.

'I'm no one,' she told them. Standing, she readied for her next move. 'You two – make for the exit! Try to get the others to follow. I'll cover your escape.'

She rushed back to the centre of the room to find where the majority of the bespelled humans were – crowded around the Lady of the Frozen Lake statue. At least five of them were grasping at different parts of her and one other was even biting. 'Core!' he cried between bizarre nibbles. 'Taste Core! Smell Core!'

'Enough!' she cried. Behind her she could hear the panicked guests scrambling away. Raising her hand, she called another attack. 'Mercury Aqua Mirage!' It was a gentler attack, she hoped. She couldn't hurt them. They were still people. Not monsters. The people were pushed off the statue by the threads of water, one by one. 'Show yourself, you coward!' she cried. 'Don't hide behind enslaved minds! Let them go!'

Then she heard it, more movement above.

She looked up, bringing down her visors as she did. Upon the balcony, she saw a figure running along and up toward the roof. 'If you want me,' his voice came, 'come and get me, Princess Mercury.'

That voice – the Phantom.

She clutched her fist.

'I will,' she mumbled or thought, she couldn't tell which.

Without hesitation, she made to follow.

It has been just over a year since I was able to update this fic. Those of you unaware, I was working towards completing my MA programme. Now the assignments are all done, I really am hoping to start writing more again.